I have read a lot of the "normal sugar" vs "brewing sugar" questions, and I think I'm there with an answer but I wanted to just get it verified as I'm new to this. I have a beer kit, with 3kg of malt. It says to then add an additional 1kg of brewing sugar to take the abv from 5.5% to 7%, this is optional. My questions are: I'm happy with around the 6% mark, so can I just add …
Just wondering is it possible to turn fermented sugar water with an abv of around 15% into moonshine by freeze distilling it. Also wondering if i would have to worry about methanol when using this technique
In many kits I've used, the instructions recommend using brewing sugar. Of course it's okay to use other sources of sugar, but I was wondering whether there are any benefits of using brewing sugar over these other types?
Since the yeast will burn sugar away generating alcohol & CO2 for as long as it can (until the % by volume makes the brew toxic, killing the yeast off), just adding more sugar doesn't seem to the answer. Although this technically results in a sweeter (sugar remaining after yeast is no longer viable) result, carbonation drops won't work to carbonate in bottles. How do you get a sweeter result? For example mead or ginger ale are typically quite sweet; …
I've just been reading an FAQ on different sugars used in brewing. Most kits specify usage of 1KG of brewing sugar. The first time I made a batch of home brew I used table sugar, but this seemed to make the beer overly cloudy (even after adding beer finings), very alcoholic, and it tasted a little odd. The second time I made a batch I used brewing sugar which improved the condition of the beer somewhat, and it was far …
I have seen several tables, notably: http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/hydrom.asp http://www.beer-wine.com/learning/how-adjust-specific-gravity http://www.brsquared.org/wine/CalcInfo/HydSugAl.htm But they all differ slightly. I'd like to test my hydrometer and refractometer with known gravities by adding sugar to a known volume of water (say 1 gallon for example) and taking measurements (like with no sugar, then the correct amount for 1.010/2.5Brix, etc), then increase the sugar and continue taking measurements, just to verify the readings. However, I can't seem to find where they are getting the numbers from for …
I'm brewing my very first batch with an actual kit (I've used Mr. Beer before with decent results and wanted to do it right). I bought a recipe kit from Northern Brewer and I opted for the Cooper's Carbonation drops. But I see no one mention them here - or pretty much anywhere else. The beer (the XPA recipe) is on week 2 of fermentation and seems to be progressing nicely - the fermentation seems to have mostly stopped after …
Is there an equation or relation to describe how much sugar is to be added to water to obtain a liquid with a specific gravity? In This question, for example, it is mentioned that "1 lb in 1 gallon is 1.046" - but is there a known scale? Or is extrapolating from this the only way? Bonus points for metric units, double points for referenced answer!
New to brewing. I'm trying to understand when and where it makes sense to intentionally add sugar. Based on what I've read/researched so far, I can think of three places where it makes sense: As part of the grain bill, there will be grains and perhaps other ingredients that contain sugar in them. Some of these sugars will be fermentable, and some of them will not be. The ones that are fermentable will (hopefully) go on to be consumed in …
My goal: I want to simulate beer (and perhaps other drinks in a future) fermentation processes in software. In the Ramirez & Gee fermentation models, there are three terms for sugars: G for glucose. This is a monosaccharide. M for maltose. This is a disaccharide. N for maltotriose. This is a trisaccharide. The consumption rates (using ordinary differential equations which are not analytically integrable) use terms to reflect the consumption priority they call "inhibitor terms", so the maltotriose gets the …
I've just been playing with some treatments for an undercarbonated batch in bottles. The beer is slightly carbonated, it bubbles up a little when poured, just builds no head & dissipates instantly. I thought I'd try opening a couple of bottles & adding some carbonation drops, re-seal & see what happens after a week or two. I put 1 drop each in 2 bottles and 2 drops each in another 2 bottles. When the sugar was added to the beer, …
I have been experimenting with sugar wash fermentations. I've tried sucrose (cane sugar) as well as dextrose (corn sugar) and observed stalled fermentations in both, in spite of sufficient yeast nutrients, DO and yeast alcohol tolerance. I'm suspecting that the pH of the wash may be the culprit. As other already have noted (but something I had yet to learn when I started) the pH of a fermenting sugar wash can crash to 3 or even 2.5 or so. Unsurprisingly, …
I created 3 liters of pomegranate wine. I think I put excess sugar. Have taken the wine after 24 days. The wine came out pretty well, but its little sugary, is there a way to decrease the sugar content? I am planning to create a new batch with less sugar and mix the new wine with old one, will that work? Any other way to reduce sugar?
I recently bought an inexpensive little hydrometer in the goal of roughly measuring the alcohol and sugar content of my home-brewed kombucha. I didn't think too hard about the methodology of this process until it actually came with its instructions. In the end (if I understand it correctly), it seems that the process of estimating alcohol/sugar content via comparison of starting and ending specific gravities operates under the following idealized assumptions: The starting measurement deviates from a specific gravity of …
I have an enzyme preparation (powdery form) with an activity of 1045 U/g which I would like to use in mashing a 70 g of grain whose starch percentage is at 67%. How do I determine the quantity (in grams) of the enzyme preparation needed? Thanks
Okay, how much danger am I in? I used a Mr Beer kit...and bottling added priming sugar. Unfortunately I got on the wrong line - having 500ML bottles, I added the priming sugar for 1 liter bottles. 2 and 1/2 teaspoons and it called for only 1 teaspoon.
Having a sort out I've found a bag of brewing sugar that went out of date in August 2016! Curious, been stored in the dry, the bag s in tact and feels fine, I know very inexpensive to buy but waste not want not, thought about using it in a 1.8 kg can kit, would it be safe do you think or spoil the brew? Thanks in advance .
Last night I put a batch of wine going (very simple setup - a plastic bucket with a sealed lid and a cork in the top for a plastic airlock). This morning, I can tell the sugar has settled to the bottom (you can feel and hear it swishing around the bottom if you pick it up and move it a little). Should I open the sealed lid to stir it all up again, or leave it alone?
I have just brewed my first batch of beer and after reading the booster pack ingredients to add to the Cooper's tin I see there is mainly corn syrup as an ingredient, I would like to use a healthier alternative such as organic raw sugar, is this possible? Or could someone please advise me on other sugars to use. Much appreciated. Lance